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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22529560">Fail better</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/syusuke/pseuds/syusuke'>syusuke</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, MadaTobi Gift Exchange 2020, Madara is bad at flirting, Tobirama is oblivious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:20:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,064</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22529560</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/syusuke/pseuds/syusuke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Madara never wanted to set one foot into the university library ever again.<br/>But he is a good brother... Turns out he might need to thank Izuna for coaxing him into picking up his books. Who would have thought librarians were that hot?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>280</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/raendown/gifts">raendown</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I got a library AU prompt from raendown for the gift exchange. So here I am, trying my hand at humor. I hope you'll like it!<br/>It was a fun challenge for me ^^</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>„FINE! Just shut up... I’ll get them. Yes, I have your card.”, Madara ignored Izuna’s babbling and rolled his eyes at the phone as he walked through the glass doors to the front desk of the university library. Ever since he had finished his own degree he avoided the place. Izuna owed him big time. He had better things to do than picking up boring psychology books.</p><p>Madara froze. His heart stopped for a second or two. If anyone could kill with a glare, it was the white-haired man sitting behind the front desk who was looking at him over the brim of his glasses. Damn, it was unfair how good he looked despite wearing the most hideous sweater Madara had ever seen. It was obviously handmade, knitted by someone with no sense of color coordination. Honestly, orange and a light rose? And was that.. were those neon pink flowers stitched on top of it?</p><p>When the man cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at him, Madara reflexively hung up on Izuna. The man nodded in approval and looked at him expectantly. His eyes were an intense brown that almost seemed red. Ah yes, after taking a few steps closer, they were definitely more red. The inner most ring of the iris was a vivid red and faded out slowly into streeks of orange until the color seemed to disappear beneath the brown. He could swear he could still see it shimmer through a bit. Shit, he was staring. Quick, quick, say something.</p><p>“That sweater is hideous.”, Madara mentally slapped himself. For God’s sake, why did his brain always shut down in front of pretty people? He had to make it better somehow.</p><p>“I mean.. uhm. You can wear it.”, he staggered, intently observing the reaction, “It’s just not. I wouldn’t wear it. But it’s fine. I’m sure you can wear anything and uh make it work?”</p><p>The man – Tobirama according to his name tag – looked unimpressed. He deliberately pushed his glasses back with his middle finger, never breaking eye contact. That was definitely on purpose. Madara suppressed the urge to throw his hands up in resignation and storm off. He did have some dignity, thank you very much.</p><p>“Charming. Now, was there anything I could help you with?”</p><p>Oh, that was delicious. A deep rumble. Madara had not expected that.</p><p>Right, Izuna! He had to get the books. He fumbled a little with his wallet, cursing silently as he failed to get hold of the library card. He could feel the other’s eyes on him and he was almost certain there was a blush creeping up his spine. Dammit, he had to get out of here before it reached his face.</p><p>“I need to pick up whatever books my brother wanted. Here’s his card. Okay, thank you.”, Madara almost stumbled over his words and just shoved the library card into Tobirama’s waiting hand. He kept his gaze firmly on the counter, head lowered just enough to hide behind a curtain of hair, refusing to meet Tobirama’s eyes again. But that just kept his focus on the fingers dancing across the keyboard. His hands were much broader than his build would suggest, with long fingers easily reaching any key, even the number pad that Madara himself avoided precisely because it was hard to reach. He typed very fast. In fact, he had never seen anyone type that fast. Must be typing a lot then, precise too. At least he didn’t correct anything. He also used some weird combinations and never even touched the mouse.</p><p>“Would you like a bag?”</p><p>“Hm?”, his head shot up involuntarily. Tobirama got up to get the books and Madara just nodded dumbfounded. How?! Life was so unfair. This guy would be the death of him. Not only was he absolutely stunning, pale skin contrasting nicely with his eyes and the thick black frames of his glasses hidden underneath spikey white hair – he had never seen that before either, a fashion statement? To top it all off, he was freakishly tall. Like, basketball player tall. Probably close to 7’.</p><p>Oh jesus, thank God for his last name! Madara did nothing to hide his oggling as Tobirama had to bend down to get to the ‘U’s and grab Izuna’s books. Those legs went on <em>forever</em>. Now if he only wore some tighter clothes... Oh shit! Madara shook his head violently, trying to get his mind out of the gutter.</p><p>If he almost tore the bag out of Tobirama’s hand and hid his burning red face behind long hair again, nobody had to know.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Trial and Error</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“That guy keeps staring at you.”</p>
<p>“Mhm..”, Tobirama hummed non-commitedly. He was used to it. He knew that he looked different and people always stared. The first few days of a new semester used to bother him, when he started out. A quick double-take was one thing, he didn’t mind that. It was easy to ignore. The open-mouthed stares from new students were a different story. They looked at him as if he was the last unicorn. Mostly in confusion. He had been mistaken for a foreigner time and time again. People even went so far as to speak to him in german or swedish or whatever they assumed to be his nationality. Joke’s on them though, Tobirama loved languages and they gave him an easy way to practice. He’d just gotten his C2 in german a couple weeks ago. You never knew when knowledge could come in handy. He would even go so far as to admit the trade off was worth all the stares and awkward situations.</p>
<p>“Oi, Tobirama. I’m not joking. He came here yesterday and left immediately after I told him it was your day off.”</p>
<p>Tobirama finally looked up from his typing. Iruka rolled his eyes at him and pointed at the man in the entrance area. It was a small space, not usually occupied by the students. There were several rooms for study groups farther in the back and for those who studied silently they had a big desk area with plenty of power outlets for their personal tech. The man was not studying though. He didn’t have any equipment on him. He did seem vaguely familiar. Although overall he just looked out of place in his sport clothes. Judging by the tight fit of them and lack of sticks or rackets, probably some kind of track and field. His clothes were a particularly dark shade of blue, it reminded Tobirama of Hashirama wearing the trikot of the national basketball team. As for the stranger, that mass of hair would definitely get in the way of any sport. Not a very practical decision. Hashirama would like him.</p>
<p>When their eyes met, the man looked away. The usual then. Just another guy staring at the exotic librarian. Tobirama could ignore it. No harm done. Except the man looked up again and held Tobirama’s stare as he walked straight towards him.</p>
<p>A sudden yelp of surprise made him freeze and then blink. Repeatedly.</p>
<p>He would laugh. He really would. But he also felt sorry for the short girl who had been run over by the determined stalker. Tobirama got up from his desk and went out of his way to help her gather the books and notes strewn all across the floor. There were a lot of notes and what looked like a half finished essay. Tobirama registered a quick excuse and the man leaving, before the girl fretted about her stuff. She thanked him profusely and apologized for the inconvenience.</p>
<p>“No problem. I like to help.”, Tobirama gave her a small smile as he handed back the materials, “Nice topic. For Professor Haruno’s mythology class, I assume? I heard her mention the norse mythology book by Gaiman. Maybe you’d like to add that version to your essay? I know it’s considered trivial literature, but she seemed to like it. Especially the Loki bit... I think it was the one where he turned into a fish, a salmon I believe. The one when the Aesir actually capture him. It would fit well with the shapeshifting theme you have.”</p>
<p>“I..uh, thank you?”, she seemed a bit confused, but mostly grateful, “Could you point me in the right direction?”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>The next time Tobirama noticed the strange man was during a busy afternoon of visiting school kids.</p>
<p>Iruka had a soft spot for kids and since Tobirama didn’t mind too much he had volunteered to read them a story while Iruka and the teacher caught up. They were old schoolmates or something, he did not particularly care. Unfortunately, Iruka had somehow forgotten to reserve one of the bigger rooms for the class, so Tobirama had no choice but take them to the communal lounge area.</p>
<p>It only took five minutes to ask a few people if they would mind giving up their seats, before he had secured a big enough corner of the room for the class to settle. Most of the visitors came by regularly and moved with a simple nod, without even removing their earbuds. People in the lounge area were rarely productive and thankfully didn’t mind taking their break elsewhere. One young woman asked politely if she could stay and seeing all the tech and books she had spread out in her corner, Tobirama apologized for the inconvenience and warned her that he would read to the kids. The woman smiled at him, headphones already in hand. Ah, noise-cancelling, expensive ones at that.</p>
<p>He was halfway through the fairy tale of Issun-Boshi when he noticed the adult sitting at a table a bit farther away. The man was clearly deep into the story and Tobirama didn’t mind the extra audience as long as he wasn’t a predator. Thankfully, he did not seem interested in the kids. So Tobirama just kept on reading and taking great care in coming up with a unique voice for each character. He hid a smirk when he noticed Iruka coming back. His friend loved telling stories and could not stop himself from adding little sound effects. The kids certainly liked it.</p>
<p>His reading was cut off by a loud ‘no!’. The voice was way too deep to have come from one of the kids. When he looked up, there were several children shushing the man, one even pushed him and insisted that ‘Tobi-san won’t finish until everyone is quiet’. The man clapped one hand over his mouth and nodded at the children. What an idiot.</p>
<p>When he noticed Tobirama looking, he went beet red and ran for the exit. At least it appeared that way, Tobirama was almost certain that he lingered behind the next row of bookshelves to hear the end. If he continued to read a little louder, it wasn’t hurting anyone.</p>
<p>Tobirama banished all thoughts of trying to place the man within his memory. He’d seen him before, he was certain about that. Something about the way he held himself... Nevermind. He should finish the story and get the kids out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>Okay, he got this! Today was the day. All he had to do was get Tobirama alone and then ask him out. It couldn’t be that hard. Worst case scenario he said no. He had nothing to lose. Except his dignity. But whatever. There wasn’t much left after stalking the guy for almost a month.</p>
<p>He would be ashamed of how much he lusted after the man, but he couldn’t blame himself for seeing beauty and appreciating it. Yeah, yeah sure. It was superficial, but only in the beginning! With every encounter he learned more about Tobirama. He acted all cold and aloof, but he also helped students who tried hard. Honestly, it was both endearing and frustrating how easily he could point them to the right books or research papers, while Madara constantely made a fool of himself and quickly retreated before the librarian noticed him.</p>
<p>Madara wished he could have asked for help with his own paper two years ago. Though to be fair, he picked the topic because he knew his professor hated it and it would have felt wrong to get help with his petty revenge on Professor Hatake. He barely passed, but that was not the point. The point was that the bastard had to read it and actually check his facts, forcing the man to spend hours watching soccer. And to quote the man that was “for athletes who lack the coordination to handle a stick” and the soccer society was “ridicoulusly overvalued and successful due to lobbying more than actual skills”. Not that Madara disagreed with that evaluation per se. Hatake was just a pedantic asshole who regularly failed half of the first years. No wait, stop procrastinating. Focus, idiot!</p>
<p>“Uh, hi. Is Tobirama working today?”, he approached the front desk nervously. Madara was not stupid. He was well aware that this Iruka guy didn’t like him. Every time the guy had sent him away and told him – more or less politely – to fuck off. Sometimes he made comments about how Tobirama wasn’t interested in relationships and if he were, he’d have his pick of admirers. Madara had seen a few other people approaching Tobirama, but so far he had declined all advances. They had all been significantly younger though and well, a man could hope.</p>
<p>“You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. Fine. You earned a free pass. Tobirama is reorganizing the german books in section D. Well? Get going.”</p>
<p>Stunned, Madara hesitated a moment. Then he took off to section D, all the way in the back, right next to the staff rooms. It was completely quiet. He couldn’t hear any rustling or shuffling in between the shelves. Huh, maybe Tobirama wasn’t back here after all. It wouldn’t surprise him if Iruka sent him the wrong way. No longer expecting to find anyone, he turned to walk back when he noticed the cart full of books.</p>
<p>Madara closed the distance and peeked around the shelves. He couldn’t believe the scene before him. Tobirama was directly in front of him, sitting cross-legged on the floor, a book in his right hand, eyes glued to the page. Enthralled. Madara stood maybe three feet away from him and if Tobirama were to lift his head, he’d notice him. Heart beating furiously, Madara waited for him to move. With nothing else to do, he tried to read the back of the book. <em>Zivilcourage.</em> Right, german section. Civil and courage? That really didn’t help. He had not the slightest idea whether it was fiction or non-fiction. So he focused on Tobirama instead. He rested the paperback on his right knee, his upper body almost curled over it, as if to protect it from the outside world. Madara couldn’t really see his expression, because his left hand blocked his face. His fingers moved ever so slowly, but constantely, only stopping for a moment to turn a page. It was sort of hypnotizing to watch him, completely calm, yet entirely unaware. Madara couldn’t remember the last time, he’d gotten so lost in a book.</p>
<p>As interesting as it was to watch Tobirama read, that was not why he was here. He tried to decide how to break the silence in the least awkward way when Tobirama let out the tiniest whimper, resulting in a sudden jerk from Madara and the motion pushing the cart farther into the aisle.</p>
<p>Madara tried to grab the rail before it could hit Tobirama, stumbled over his own feet and instead landed on top of the cart, scattering the books everywhere. The unexpected impact robbed him of all his breath, his vision went black for a few seconds and when he finally managed to gather himself again, he felt strong hands pull him to his feet.</p>
<p>“Are you alright?”</p>
<p>Madara didn’t understand how exactly Tobirama evaded the cart and the books, but he didn’t question it. He was thankful for the firm grip holding him in place. If he had any wiggle room, he’d run for it. This had to be the single most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him. At least he couldn’t make it any worse, could he?</p>
<p>“I’ve seen you around a few times. I apologize. It was careless of me to leave the cart like that. People rarely come back here. I forgot caution.”</p>
<p>The world shifted back into clear focus. Madara opened his mouth to answer. He wanted to tell him there was no reason to apologize, wanted to admit that it was his fault. Apparently, he was too slow.</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah, mein Fehler. Würden Sie lieber Deutsch sprechen? Ein Austauschstudent, ja?</span>
</p>
<p>„I, uh, I’m fine. I’m sorry, what did you just say?”, Madara tilted his head curiously. He’d never heard anything like that. It sounded kind of harsh, a little like someone clearing their throat. Tobirama stayed where he was, straightening his spine. His eyes roamed over the scene and eventually settled on Madara again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You don’t speak german. What do you want then? We have translations of the more popular german authors in section C. You’ll find whatever Goethe, Schiller or Hesse you were assigned to read. None of the professors here actually expect you to read the original.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t come for books. I was looking for you-“</p>
<p>“Seriously, I’ll let you know that I won’t do the literature research for you. On rare occasions I help students who can’t find what they need after trying themselves. I certainly won’t help anyone who didn’t lift a finger. I’ve never seen you on a computer.”</p>
<p>“..To hell with it!”, Madara spit it out without a second thought, “I- Would you like to grab a coffee? Somewhere else? Nono, I’m not trying to bribe you. I just want to talk.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tobirama tilted his head slightly, obviously confused by the request. He let go of Madara and focused on collecting the scattered books instead. “Agreed. I will join you for coffee and a conversation, if you keep this our secret.”, Tobirama handed him a stack of books, before he put aside the book he had been reading, “I’m not allowed to read during my work hours. So, would you be available later today? My shift ends in two hours.”</p>
<p>“Yes. Of course, that works! I can help you with that.”, Madara eagerly took a step closer. The aisles were hardly wide enough for them to stand next to each other without brushing shoulders in the first place, but with both of them bending over it was even worse. Tobirama didn’t comment on the awkward arrangement. He picked up the books, a few he put away immediately, others he gave Madara to hold.</p>
<p>At a loss of words Madara obediently held the books and every so often he’d shuffle out of Tobirama’s way. He tried his best not to stare. In such close quarters it was impossible not to look though, so he scanned the aisle for any kind of distraction. The books were neatly placed on the shelves and he could see little notecards. The script was too small to read. All he could tell, was that it was hand-written. He almost dropped the books he held, when Tobirama stepped right in front of him, shifting onto his tiptoes. As smoothly as he could he adjusted his grip while his nose was almost touching Tobirama’s chest and he could feel the warmth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I uh, I forgot.. I really need to.. Uhm,” Madara leaned back as far as he could, “I’ll be back in two hours.” Unable to get more distance between them he gently pushed the pile of books against Tobirama’s stomach who took them on instinct and then bolted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If Madara had risked a glance at the source of his agitation, he could have seen a shit-eating grin quickly being hidden behind a book. Instead Madara walked away as quickly as he could without falling into a jog. Well, mission accomplished! The how was not important. Or was it? No, no it wasn’t. He had to cool down somewhere. Far away from Tobirama. He could come back later and then he’d worry about coming across as a normal human being, fully capable to hold a conversation.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks to discord I got the translation thingy working I've seen before ^^ \o/</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A spark of interest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Madara returned to the library, he was a nervous wreck. He had tried to pass the time by browsing the infinite wisdom of the internet for flirting tips. It had done nothing to calm him down. On the contrary, some of the tips were really weird and the one-liners were horrible. Cheesy. Or just plain rude. Did men really act that entitled when flirting with women? And he was honestly offended by the gay advice on the subject. Just asking for a fuck wasn’t a good way to show his interest. Not that he would say no, if the opportunity arose...</p>
<p>He would prefer a more subtle approach though and of course the internet was not helpful with that. So in the end he had called Hikaku. His cousin had always had a way with words and most importantly Hikaku had experience dating men. He had calmly adviced him to just be himself, since that already succeeded in getting him the date in the first place. Even if Tobirama didn’t consider it a date, it was still one on one time and that’s when progress happened. Or so he said.</p>
<p>He had recounted everything he knew about Tobirama so far. He was tall and lean and he had the most interesting eyes he’d ever seen. His voice was so deep Madara could feel it vibrate in his chest when he was close enough. Mmm, he really wanted to get close to that broad chest. It had been so tempting to lean in earlier. Yes, right. Body <em>and</em> mind were delicious here. Tobirma was smart, quick-witted and perfectly blunt while still being encouraging and considerate whenever students approached him for help. Madara might have gone into too much detail on his hands afterwards and stopped his rambling only when Hikaku made a dirty joke. Also, Iruka said he was single and currently not looking for a relationship.</p>
<p>Hikaku had one advice only. Find out if he is interested in men. If he is, <em>be blunt</em>. That call had been half an hour ago though and Madara had enough time to get nervous again. Ah, the life long gamble! Curse his tastes. He had an aweful track record with flirting, too many straight guys in his circle. It was so difficult to find a possibly interested man. Sometimes he wished for everyone to wear bracelets or something to broadcast their preferences. He could really do without a leap of faith every time he fancied someone.</p>
<p>“I never got your name?”, Tobirama suddenly stood in front of him, hand outstretched expectantely.</p>
<p>Madara managed to snap himself out of his spiralling thoughts and shake Tobirama’s hand while mumbling his name. He was surprised to see a look of slight confusion and vague recognition on Tobirama’s face. It had happened a few times recently, ever since the media had taken an interest and started promoting him as the frontrunner for an olympic medal. It was a good season for him. In fact, he had two weeks off before the next training camp and his coach had insisted that he’d go home and spend time with his family.</p>
<p>“If you don’t mind me picking, my preferred coffee shop is just across the street from the train station and I need to go there afterwards anyway.”, Tobirama waited for Madara to nod before he lead the way, “Is walking alright? I’d rather avoid the bus. Enough crowds for today.”</p>
<p>“That’s okay. Bad day, huh?”, Madara tried for a casual tone.</p>
<p>Tobirama looked over his shoulder where Iruka stood next to the door with pleading eyes and shook his head. He set a brisk pace and Madara fell in step easily. Once they were out of the building and across the street Tobirama slowed down to shoot Madara a calculating look.</p>
<p>“Do you actually want me to vent? Because I will. Last chance to tap out.”</p>
<p>Madara snorted, simply gesturing ahead and taking a mock bow. Tobirama took the offer immediately and Madara listened to complaints about coding systems, shift arrangements and incompetent or lazy professors the whole walk. He made agreeing noises ever so often and privately delighted in the snark aimed at Professor Hatake. Tobirama was exactly the kind of shrewd so many people <em>tried and failed</em> to be. It did make him wonder though. Why was a guy as smart as that stuck as a librarian?</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>The coffeeshop was rather small. Most people bought their coffee to go. There were five tables in the back, all currently empty. Madara hesitated at the counter for a moment, unsure whether they should get their coffee and sit down afterwards or if there were waiters. He didn’t care much for coffee, but it had been a safe bet considering how often he’d seen Tobirama and his co-workers go for a coffee run.</p>
<p>“Hey grumpy! The usual?”</p>
<p>Tobirama honest to god growled at the woman who simply ignored it. She gestured him towards the table in the far corner. When she noticed Madara trailing after him, she smirked at him.</p>
<p>“Poor soul, you got stuck with Tobi today? He’ll be nicer after his coffee. What can I get you?”</p>
<p>She was kinda smiling? It was a smile, but it felt dangerous. The dark lipstick definitely added to the feeling. Tobirama had to know her pretty well for that level of banter. He’d better remember that. Just in case he needed some more information later. As satisfying as the complaints about his work were, Tobirama had not given him anything he could use for small talk. He scanned the menu for anything without caffeine.</p>
<p>“I’ll take a matcha latte with soy milk.”</p>
<p>As soons as they settled into their chairs, the woman appeared with a big mug of what looked like black coffee and his latte. The longer he looked at her the more familiar she seemed. She was pretty and if he had any interest in women, he’d probably get tongue-tied around her too.</p>
<p><em>Wait.</em> The way she had just squinted at him... He looked at her, looked at Tobirama, looked back to her. There was some resemblance. That would certainly explain the banter. The woman squeezed Tobirama’s shoulder, but before she could start a conversation the bell rang and she returned to the counter.</p>
<p>“So, was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?”, Tobirama took a sip of his coffee and waited, “You listened to me complaining long enough.”</p>
<p>Madara didn’t touch his mug. He’d been mulling over how he could subtly show his interest. Flirting was not his strong point. He considered himself lucky to even sit here with the man, not exactly alone, but still purposely out of earshot. He looked up at the question, his gaze drawn to Tobirama’s eyes once again. Huh?</p>
<p>“Don’t you need those?”, he pointed vaguely to the glasses on the table between them. Madara was fortunate enough his eyes were perfectly fine, especially with his family history of losing much of their sight over the years.  He had seen enough glasses to notice that one lense was almost double the thickness of the other one, which was rather unusual.</p>
<p>“Actually, no.”, Tobirama shrugged non-chalantely, “They’re more of a safety measure. They don’t improve my vision, they just block a certain frequency of light that is only an issue with screens.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I hope that doesn’t bother you at the library?”, any topic was fine with Madara, just as long as he could keep listening to that smooth bass.</p>
<p>Tobirama put his coffee down and tucked the glasses into the collar of his shirt. Madara couldn’t help following the motion, secretly hoping for him to pull just a little more. The hint of collarbone was such a tease. Tobirama popped his shoulder with a loud crack that startled Madara and pointedly looked at the watch he wore on his right wrist. It wasn’t a fancy watch, it looked more like sportswear, possibly for monitoring pulse and or blood pressure.</p>
<p>“So-“</p>
<p>“What <em>the hell?!</em> What’s up with your shoulder?”, Madara jumped from his seat but stopped short just before touching the other man. He immediately pulled his hand back, awkwardly settling back into his seat, but kept staring at Tobirama’s right shoulder. That sounded nasty. That joint was definitely not entirely functional. It had to hurt!</p>
<p>“An old injury. So, as I was saying, is there a specific topic? You said you wanted to talk to me. Get to it. Otherwise I’m sure you could find more pleasant company.”</p>
<p>“No! I mean. I like your company. There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now! Like, you’re a very interesting man” <em>and unfairly attractive</em> but Madara desperately racked his brain for any topic of conversation. He needed something. An excuse. Surely Tobirama would relax and like him better, if he showed interest in books. This would be so much easier if he liked reading. Like, at all. Shit, shit, shit.</p>
<p>“I...”, Madara suddenly remembered the last conversation with his coach, “I would like to try some mental training. To help with my focus and achieving flow.”</p>
<p>Tobirama sat back in his seat and his shoulders visibly relaxed. He tapped his chin absentmindedly and tilted his head, revealing a long column of tauntingly pale skin.</p>
<p>“We tried some stuff with visualization, but my coach says I’m a hopeless case.”, Madara laughed uncomfortably, “Although right now I have no problem visualizing what I want. It’s been a long time since I wanted anything that much.”</p>
<p>Madara tried to swallow subtly. That stare was frickin intense! It felt like Tobirama was trying to look into his soul. Not that he didn’t like the attention, he’d just prefer to know why he got the stare. He suspected that Tobirama could see right through him and his badly concealed urge to give him a hickey. He had to up his game. Humble bragging was a thing, right?</p>
<p>“I’m trying to get into the national selection for track and field, I specialize in jump events.”, Madara saw the arched eyebrow and immediately spat out, “Don’t. Say. It. Height has nothing to do with it.”</p>
<p>Tobirama didn’t say anything. Instead he sipped his coffee, seemingly lost in thought.</p>
<p>“It’s not just about size. It’s about control and momentum!”, as soon as it registered what he said Madara went beet red. Obviously it was true, but he didn’t mean to start his flirting attempts with sexual innuendo. He was supposed to do the stupid vibe check first. That’s what Hikaku called it. Lady Luck was on his side though, Tobirama didn’t react to the innuendo at all and mercifully ignored his blush.</p>
<p>“Is there a specific problem with your focus? From what I’ve seen so far, it would be more likely to be a coordination issue.”</p>
<p>“Hey! My coordination is fine. It’s not my fault the most handsome man I’ve ever seen keeps distracting me.”, Madara tried to cut himself off, but it was too late. Flustered flirting was better than not getting to the point. If he kept telling himself that he might even believe it.</p>
<p>“Ah, I understand now.”, Tobirama took a sip of his coffee, “You wanted to ask me about Iruka. Yes, he is quite handsome. He is attracted to men, but unfortunately for you he is currently in a relationship. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t tell you any of this, but since you went through all that trouble, it would be a shame. And frankly a bother, if you kept showing up when you don’t have a chance.”</p>
<p>“I was not talking about Iruka.”</p>
<p>“Sure, you weren’t.”</p>
<p>This was not going where he wanted it to go. Absolutely not. Unbelievable. Did Tobirama really not understand how hot he was? Good thing he already found out the man was single.</p>
<p>“How do you feel about that? Iruka dating men? Does it bother you?”</p>
<p>“Why? Love is love. The earth is already overpopulated. Homosexuality does serve an evolutionary purpose.”</p>
<p>Madara’s jaw just dropped. He never heard a scientific explanation for being gay. It was infuriatingly logical. But what was he supposed to do with that? Did Tobirama not care about sexuality at all? Or was he gay himself? He was not homophobic. That much was clear. He needed another way to ask him about that.</p>
<p>While Madara sipped his latte and gave himself a minute to form a plan, he noticed several people waving in their general direction and since he knew none of them, they must know Tobirama. It was odd, but they weren’t surprised when he didn’t acknowledge them and left without a second try to get his attention. Tobirama finished his coffee and then rummaged through his messenger bag, only to pull out a notepad and a fountain pen. Oh, he wasn’t ignoring him then?</p>
<p>“I’ll humor you. In case the mental training wasn’t only an excuse there are a few things you could try.”, Tobirama said while slowly writing down book titles, “Personally, I think the key is to stay in the moment and think about the movements as you do them instead of focusing on the goal. The more you train, the more you internalize the movements and you are also more likely to stop focusing on them.”</p>
<p>He had not expected actual advice. Madara’s eyes followed the pen and for a moment his thoughts calmed. Simple, non-stop movement, precise and without unnecessary detours. There was a grace to it. When the pen stopped Madara held his hand out for the paper and with a short brush of fingers, he got his prize. The script was neat and elegant. Three book suggestions.</p>
<p>“Did you read all of those?”</p>
<p>“Yes, I did.”, Tobirama rolled his eyes at him, “Now, was that all you needed? I have an appointment in an hour.”</p>
<p>“Uhm, I..”, he needed another excuse, “Why did you read those? Are you doing any sports?”</p>
<p>“I practice traditional archery. I used to compete in my teens and read up on a lot of mental training back then.”</p>
<p>“I bet I could beat you.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“What?!”</em>
</p>
<p>“I can beat you!”, he had to commit now, “I’m pretty good at most sports. How about a competition?”</p>
<p>Tobirama’s eyebrow twitched and Madara congratulated himself. He found one of his buttons. He could work with that. He was extremely competitive himself and if that was how he got the man’s attention then so be it. He had never shot a bow in his life, but how hard could it be? He was good with javelins, so strength shouldn’t be an issue and Tobirama had a shoulder injury. Surely, he stopped competing as soon as he got injured. He couldn’t be too good. A good amateur at most. He could probably hold his own. He was a top level athlete after all!</p>
<p>“Come by the library the day after tomorrow.”, Tobirama’s tone was icy, “Let’s say at 6pm and we’ll have a little competition at my club. It’s within a 20 minute walk of the library. Be on time. Pardon me, I have a prior engagement.”</p>
<p>Madara stared after him, as Tobirama picked up his belongings and stopped by the counter to pay and then left. That did not exactly go, as he had planned, but he would see him again soon? Now he’ll just need to catch that woman off guard. She had valuable information. He still needed to know if romance was an option? Sure, Tobirama was interesting anyway, even if he had to settle for friendship. But if the universe sent him his wildest fantasy come to life and he had to give up, before really trying, he would probably go mad.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever you did, keep doing it.”</p>
<p>“Uh...”, Madara must have been zoning out. He hadn’t noticed the woman approaching at all.</p>
<p>She took Tobirama’s empty seat and mustered him for a long minute.</p>
<p>“I’m Touka. Nice to meet you. Usually I ignore it when strangers try to undresss my cousin with their eyes, it happens often enough.”, she shushed him when he tried to protest, “That’s exactly what you did. Don’t deny it. You’re very lucky. For some reason he likes you.”</p>
<p>It was now or never. He had to ask her. Maybe she’d tell him. Was there anything to lose?</p>
<p>“Please, tell me!”, Madara went for his best puppy dog eyes, “Is he interested in men at all?”</p>
<p>Touka laughed at him. She went into a laughing fit so strong, it bent her in half and she repeatedly slapped the table. When she calmed down a little, she wiped away tears.</p>
<p>“Oh my, you. You are so... You got it bad, huh?”, she took one of his hands and patted it lightly, “Tobi doesn’t care about what parts you have or don’t have. He just wants someone who can keep up with him.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Touka just.. happened?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Not shooting straight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobirama couldn’t wait for his shift to end. He had five more minutes to pass and it seemed like the handles on the clock had to fight their way through a block of cement instead of air. Their ticking echoed in his head, pulling on his nerves almost as much as Iruka’s senseless chattering. Tock. <em>Tock.</em></p><p>He should be allowed to leave early once. Tobirama turned his head, looked Iruka straight in the eyes and realized that he had an immensely effective way to get out of here. He raised an eyebrow at Iruka and popped his shoulder resulting in a clearly audible crack. It was a little uncomfortable to feel the bones shift and the tape pull on his skin, but the movement did not hurt. The action had the intended effect though, because Iruka shrieked in horror and yelled at him to leave immediately lest he’d give Iruka a heart-attack by repeating that.</p><p>Tobirama suppressed a smirk to give Iruka a mock salute, grab his gym bag and leave, before anyone could ask him for favors. He enjoyed his job most of the time. He liked helping the students, watching their eyes light up when they finally saw the pieces fitting together. He liked being surrounded by books and knowledge. There was something he enjoyed even more though, a challenge, proving his skills against a worthy opponent. Or at least an interesting individual in today’s case. He doubted Madara would prove a real challenge. A little voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Hashirama was already scolding him for being mean and luring Madara into a trap by not telling him how successfully he had competed before the injury.</p><p>When he rounded the corner to leave the building through the glass doors, he was met by an interesting sight. Madara was pacing around a bench on which a man was sitting with the most long-suffering expression Tobirama had ever seen. The man had the same dark hair and eyes as Madara, undoubtedly related. Their eyes met and Tobirama tried to ignore the double-take. He stepped out of the building just in time to see the man pat Madara on the back and leave with an amused ‘<em>I get it now’</em>.</p><p>“Hello, Tobirama!”, Madara looked at him with barely hidden excitement, “You look great!”</p><p>Tobirama nodded in greeting and pretended not to notice how Madara was wringing his hands and tried his best not to stare at his chest. <em>Rude.</em> He might have chosen the shirt on purpose. It had a V-neck that was dipping low enough to reveal the edge of his tattoo. Seeing Madara getting more and more flustered by his appearance was satisfying in its own right, but Touka’s retelling of her short conversation with the man was nothing short of fascinating. Madara Uchiha was japan’s best shot at an olympic medal in years. He had always seemed confident to the point of arrogance. Tobirama had done his research and in all his interviews Madara came across as an eccentric asshole. How could such a confident man be so hilariously bad at flirting?</p><p>“Would you mind walking again?”, Tobirama gestured vaguely to the bus stop, “I’m afraid we just missed it.”</p><p>Madara fell in step and Tobirama let him suffer a bit of awkward silence. It was undeniably entertaining to watch as Madara shuffled closer as if pulled in by an irresistible force, only to catch himself doing it and shake his head in frustration, moving farther away again. Tobirama took mercy on him eventually.</p><p>“I see you came prepared for our competition.”, he pointed vaguely at the braided hair, “I hope this doesn’t interfere with your training for the olympics.”</p><p>“It’s fine. The training camp starts next week. Coach said I should only do light exercises- Wait.”, Madara narrowed his eyes at him, “I never told you about the olympics.”</p><p>“I’m a research assistent first and librarian second.”, Tobirama did nothing to hide the snark, “Do you honestly think I can’t find information when I want to? <em>Madara Uchiha</em>, expected to get japan a medal in high jump, considered a strong candidate for pole vault too.”</p><p>Madara mumbled something about stupid expectations and media being a bother. Tobirama silently agreed, he remembered his own bitter experiences after the injury. He dropped the subject, instead starting some innocent small talk, asking Madara about how Izuna’s thesis came along. It was endearing how Madara quirked up at the chance to sing his brother’s praises.</p><p>When he went on a tangent about Professor Hatake being a menace, Tobirama chimed in to explain that Hatake had been forced to teach despite all his protests. He’d flat out told them he’d be aweful at it, but it was part of university policy that if they funded research the appointed researcher had to teach and share any newfound knowledge. Tobirama was surprised by Madara’s complete change of demeanour at that and guessed he had his own story of being forced to pursue things against his will. Overall, it was a nice conversation and Madara had moved closer again. Tobirama didn’t mind. The man got more interesting by the minute.</p><p>Shortly before they reached the gym, Tobirama conducted a little experiment. He waited for Madara to get into a rant about one thing or another. Sponsorships apparently. Then he lightly brushed his knuckles along the shorter man’s wrist as if by accident. Madara abruptly stopped his rambling and pulled his hand away, mumbling a quick apology, before putting some distance between them. <em>Delightful.</em></p><p>Tobirama lead the way through the club’s little entrance area, greeting two other members with a polite bow. It looked like Ino and Sai were practicing traditional archery today. At least they had donned the appropriate clothing.</p><p>“Here we are.”, Tobirama gestured at the room as a whole, “You can leave your shoes over there. There are slippers somewhere, but most people prefer to feel the ground when shooting. You can bring your bag inside. Go ahead and wait for me at the far end of the hall. I’ll fetch us some bows and arrows.”</p><p>He watched Madara do as he was told. He felt the familiar anticipation rise up and allowed the joy to wash over him. It had been too long since he held a bow. Traditional archery was too difficult if he wanted Madara to have a good time though. A bit reluctantly, he walked past his own longbow and started stringing up two simple recurve bows. They were owned by the club and meant for beginners. With their low draw weight and wide grip they were easy to use. It shouldn’t prove too difficult to teach Madara how to aim with those.</p><p>“Senpai?”</p><p>Tobirama looked up from the bows and tilted his head at Sai.</p><p>“The man who came in with you is talking to himself and he hit his head against the wall. At least twice. Should I stop him?”</p><p>“No...”, Tobirama chuckled, “He’s just nervous. Ignore it. I’ll take care of him.”</p><p>Sai looked unconvinced, but didn’t question it further. He shrugged and went back to his training.</p><p>Tobirama hurried through the rest of his preparations to save Madara from himself as quickly as possible. His steps were light as he strode across the gym, hurrying past Ino and Sai. He couldn’t deny that he missed training regularly. He still knew every dip in the floor and even the slight movement of air couldn’t escape his notice, as he passed below a slightly ajar skylight. It would throw off his aim a little to the bottom left. A quick fix.</p><p>He didn’t give Madara a chance to question the equipment or try and explain the obvious red spot on his forehead. He just pushed a bow in his hand and let the arrows slip into the stand at the firing line.</p><p>“You said, you can beat me.”, he smirked, “Prove it. Three arrows each. Best shot wins?”</p><p>Madara looked utterly dumbfounded, completely out of place with a bow in hand. Tobirama could see the gears turning. Panic, determination, confidence. Something finally clicked as Madara gestured at the target.</p><p>“You first.”</p><p>Not as stupid as he looked then. Tobirama moved deliberately slowly. He took his time to settle into a square stance, feet a shoulder-width apart, parallel to each other and the firing line, at an 90° angle to the target. It was a beginner’s footing, not his favourite. He rolled his shoulders, releasing the tension, trying to get them as relaxed as he could. He felt Madara’s eyes on him.</p><p>His back was perfectly straight, weight evenly distributed, showing off his height. He pulled the string back without notching an arrow, repeating the motion to get a feel for it. He was fairly sure Madara had no idea how to use a bow. So when he actually shot his arrows, he aimed much more carefully than he normally would, giving Madara a chance to learn by observation. He even anchored his shots, stabilizing his aim further. He’d kicked the habit once he stopped competing, just to make things more challenging for himself. Right now though, Tobirama took great care to use the perfect form. Even years of shooting in a different style could never make him forget it. The club could probably use the footage of the security camera as an instruction video.</p><p>The first shot went wide and Tobirama had to resist switching to his usual footing. It did annoy him more than he’d like to admit. Enough so that the second shot was unecessarily heavy, the arrow head got stuck deep in the straw target. The third shot felt good and Tobirama didn’t need to check to be sure he’d hit bull’s eye.</p><p>He released the stance with a long breath. He was out of practice. With any bow really, but it had been even longer since he shot a recurve bow and the uncomfortable tingling in his shoulder reminded him exactly why.</p><p>“You make it look so easy.”</p><p>Tobirama actually laughed at that. He’d forgotten Madara for a moment. The man was staring at him in awe, still awkwardly clutching his bow, giving no indication that he’d get ready to shoot.</p><p>“Your turn.”, Tobirama nudged him towards the firing line, “Beat me.”</p><p>Two things were obvious after Madara’s attempt. First – He had never held a bow before. His grip was completely wrong. Second – Madara had indeed observed Tobirama. Especially, his back and his legs. If on purpose, or by trying not to stare at his ass was not important. His stance was not too bad. His feet were placed well, shoulders relaxed and he’d even picked up on how to anchor his shot. Hm. He had looked at his face too then, not only his body. Good to know.</p><p>“You’re horrible at this.”, Tobirama teased.</p><p>“I’m trying okay!”</p><p>Tobirama retrieved their arrows and ordered Madara to try again. As soon as he took his stance, Tobirama moved behind him, adjusting his stance with featherlight touches. Nudging an elbow higher with a fingertip, straightning the shoulders, brushing his foot against Madara’s to make him widen his stance. The blush was obvious as it crept higher up Madara’s neck, but he did not move away or ask Tobirama to give him space. When he was content with his posture Tobirama stepped away, picking up his own bow again.</p><p>“Remember that stance. Get a feel for it.”, Tobirama held up the bow with his left hand, “Look at my grip. You don’t need to strangle the bow like that. Loosen it up. You form a ‘U’ shape with your pointer and thumb. The other three fingers support the pointers force, they don’t touch the bow. Now, try again.”</p><p><em>Ah, this could be so much fun!</em> Madara was not doing bad – as long as Tobirama stood at least three feet away from him and kept silent. It was exhilarating to know that his voice alone had such an effect on the man. Madara was learning quickly though and he started to slip into deep focus. Now he couldn’t have that, could he? That would spoil all his fun.</p><p>“You haven’t hit bull’s eye once. This is pointless, you’ll never beat me.”, Tobirama did his best to sound completely bored.</p><p>“No!”, Madara panicked on cue, “I’ll beat you! I’m absolutely on target. I’m here, I’m trying and you- You’re being an idiot!”</p><p>Tobirama squinted at him, successfully hiding his amusement, despite the undignified flailing.</p><p>“Oh, am I? Then I’d suppose you’d like to leave.”</p><p>“Noo...”, it was very close to a whine, “What do you want me to do?”</p><p>Tobirama couldn’t hide his true mood any longer. Madara looked like a little child who was denied his favourite candy. Tobirama very slowly raised his left arm, making sure Madara followed with his gaze. He grinned now, but Madara’s gaze had been redirected to the target.</p><p>“Fail better.”</p><p>He could see the muscles moving in Madara’s jaw, right fist clenching hard, posture straightning even more. Tobirama managed to school his features into a neutral expression just before Madara fixed him with the most offended look he’d seen so far.</p><p>“Teach me better.”</p><p>Tobirama went deadly silent, all amusement gone. They stared at each other, neither backing off, then Tobirama nodded grimly.</p><p>
  <em>How dare he question his teaching.</em>
</p><p>He no longer tried to distract Madara with little unecessary touches or by leaning in just a little closer to almost whisper in his ear. No, now it was a matter of pride. Tobirama used the tip of his bow to correct Madara’s posture and stayed out of reach. Madara sank into competition mode entirely, Tobirama could tell. His expression went blank, the nervousness from earlier was gone, and he knew Madara was giving it his best shot. He was honestly trying, too competitive, too much of an athlete to ignore the challenge. Tobirama could respect that.</p><p>Once Madara had the stance down they moved on to actual target practice. They started with balloons, big targets. Very satisfying to hit. Tobirama was happy to see the concentrated frown morph into a pleased smile as he got better and better. When they moved on to Tobirama’s favourite exercise Madara was somehow both completely focused and relaxed. The big square target had irritated Madara at first, but when he understood that he did not have to hit the target but instead try and get as close to Tobirama’s arrows as possible, he quirked up again. They were at it for close to an hour Tobirama shooting at a random spot on the target and Madara trying to hit the same spot. The shots got closer to the edges each time and Madara was forced to aim more and more carefully. All irritation, any grudge was forgotten by the time Tobirama declared Madara ready to hit bull’s eye.</p><p>“Hit bull’s eye with one of three shots and I’ll treat you to dinner.”, for the first time since they got here Tobirama didn’t try to hide his smile. He genuinely wanted Madara to win.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Challenge accepted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The atmosphere changed at once. No more jokes, no complaints. Madara simply gave him a curt nod and took his stance.</p><p>The first arrow went wide, it just barely hit the target at all. Tobirama could see a frown forming and softly reminded Madara to anchor his shots. Madara took a calming breath, shaking his head to focus. His braid was a mess and Tobirama noticed a few strands fall loose. He couldn’t wait to free that mane of its restraints.</p><p>The second arrow was close, but not quite in the center. A centimeter was missing. Tobirama watched as Madara lined up the third and final arrow. He took his time to aim and Tobirama absent-mindedly rubbed at his shoulder. He could really use some dinner. Today he was even in the mood for company. Well, not just any company. He had to admit, he wanted more time with Madara. He was not ready to call it a day.</p><p>Madara seemed ready to shoot when Tobirama pulled him back abruptly, acting on reflex when he noticed something quickly moving in his peripheral. Madara yelped in surprise, releasing the arrow that fell short of the target and colliding hard with Tobirama who struggled to keep his balance. There were several shouts and Tobirama squinted angrily at the stranger close to the entrance of the shooting range who had apparently taken a shot at <em>their</em> target. A big red flag for any self-respecting archer.</p><p>“Yo! They say, you’re the best, so let’s put it to the test. Oh, yeah. Come on, let’s go. Don’t put on a show. My aim is steady and sure better than that miniature. Whoever shoots with a bow that weak has absolutely no room to speak. Your future looks bleak. Do you have any pride to scavenge, will you rise up to the challenge?”</p><p>That was... <em>Was that guy serious?</em> Tobirama looked him up and down. The man was rather tall, dark-skinned, bleached blonde hair and he wore an armguard. He was holding one of the club’s recurve bows. The sleek black bow was mostly used to build muscle, seeing as it had too much draw weight to be used for longer sessions. After all, archery was all about precision and technique, strength was a minor component.</p><p>Sai was using his ‘senpai voice’ to scold the guy. Tobirama knew Sai was imitating him and he never quite figured out whether he was amused or annoyed by it. It had no effect whatsoever on the stranger. Sai tried to get him to return to his own target and quit bothering Tobirama and Madara, stressing how rude it was to use someone else’s target. The man ignored him completely. He approached Tobirama instead who belatedly noticed that the stranger was still wearing his shoes and left a dirt trail.</p><p>Tobirama held up one hand to stop Sai from following the man and stopping his approach. He made sure Madara got his own balance back, before he stepped in front of him, between Madara and the stranger. He met the stranger’s eyes, waiting, observing. He didn’t know the man, but there was something about his shooting stance just now that was eeringly familiar. Everything fell into place when he noticed the other man running into the gym. He never thought he’d see him again. He had kind of counted on it too.</p><p>“Bee! Show some respect!”, A hit the back of Bee’s head, “I said you can <em>ask</em> for a friendly competition. Tobirama, I apologize for my brother’s behaviour.”</p><p>“Did you teach him to shoot?”, Tobirama paused for dramatic effect then pointed at the armguard, “Looks like he copied your bad habit.”</p><p>A took offense to that. His face morphed into a grimace of old resentment and anger, but Tobirama had already turned his back on him. He was done with this conversation and the pointless challenge. He had nothing to prove. Especially not, if the challenger didn’t show basic respect. If this Bee guy wanted a competition he could bother A. Tobirama had much more pleasant company waiting for him and he owed Madara one last arrow for today. He was just about to encourage Madara to try again when a heavy hand landed on his right shoulder and squeezed. Hard.</p><p>“I’m not leaving until we compete and you suffer defeat.”</p><p>Tobirama went very still. He saw the joy and excitement vanish from Madara’s face as they were replaced by anger and concern. The jolt of pain rushing through his shoulder and spreading to both arm and back must have shown on his face. Even though he resolutely locked his jaw to bite back any noise and refused to move away.</p><p>That was it. First he ignored the club rules, then he went against the unspoken rule of never shooting at another’s target and now he had the audacity to touch him. All while insulting him and ruining his very pleasant outing with Madara. He would not let him get away with it! He schooled his features into a blank expression. <em>It was on.</em></p><p>“I’ll compete only, if you follow my rules.”, he didn’t wait for an answer as he turned to face Bee, “We use the same bow. Three arrows each, best shot wins. We switch after each shot. <em>You lose, you leave</em>.”</p><p>“Move the target to the back wall. Let’s see if you have any strength at all.”</p><p>Tobirama shot A an angry look. He’d told him his weakness. He’d told Bee about his shoulder which meant the squeeze had been deliberate. There was no honor in this challenge! Every fiber of his being protested at the injustice, at the disrespect of the athlete’s code and he would be damned if he back off now! He’d sooner bear the pain and ruin his shoulder completely.</p><p>It didn’t take long for Ino and Sai to set up a target and bring out a small collection of bows and arrows. Bee picked up the bows one by one, tested the draw weight and grip, but ultimately chose the training bow he’d had from the start.</p><p>“Uhm... Tobirama?”, Madara looked hesitant but leaned into Tobirama’s space to whisper, “Is your shoulder okay? You know you don’t have to take this challenge. We could just leave? He’s not worth it.”</p><p>Tobirama felt himself melt at that. <em>Sweet, sweet man.</em> Disaster that he was, Madara was actually really attentive. It was a miracle he hadn’t picked up on Tobirama’s little game yet. Or maybe he had, at least unconsciously. They were standing entirely too close and Tobirama couldn’t help himself. He brushed a loose strand of hair from Madara’s face, smiling fondly at the blush forming anew.</p><p>His shoulder felt horrible and it would hurt something fierce to shoot that bow. But he couldn’t ignore the blood boiling in his veins. He would teach Bee some manners, and A by proxy. Their rivalry had always been filled with tension. There had been no real competition besides them and as much as their styles differed they had looked forward to facing off. A had changed a lot since that time. Rivalry was one thing, whether it was friendly or not. Today’s challenge was outrageous, it seemed like a bad copy of ‘dojo-hunting’ and Tobirama could not for the life of him find the reason for A’s apparent grudge – or why he let his brother compete.</p><p>“Challenger first.”</p><p>Tobirama waited as Bee went quiet and took aim. He used a closed stance, allowing him to use his entire shoulder to rotate and line up the shot. His stance was a bit off, his front foot was not quite parallel to the firing line. He did not anchor the arrow and Tobirama decided to take this particular hint. No anchoring, he’d control his aim with wrists and shoulder alone.</p><p>The arrow hit the target off-center, a bit down and to the left. With a glance Tobirama confirmed that the skylight was still open.</p><p>“Prove you’re not a fraud.,” Bee shoved the bow at his chest, “Or are you too awed?”</p><p>The bow felt heavy in his hand. He remembered the first few weeks after his injury and how useless he had felt, being dependant on others for the most trivial things. He knew this bow, he’d bought it and gifted it to the club. If he used a closed stance, the strain on his shoulder could prove too much, especially since he’d been shooting for an hour already. He glanced at Madara who looked at him with a mixture of concern and pride. Not worth it. He’d try a square stance then. If only because he hoped to at least hug the man goodbye and for that he needed two functioning arms.</p><p>The moment Tobirama released the arrow, he knew it would miss. His shoulder had locked and he released on reflex, much too early, a half-draw at most. It would never reach the target.</p><p>“I knew it, you’re weak!”, Bee laughed at him, “You’re using a beginner’s technique. It’s a simple target yet you can’t reach, you should never be allowed to teach.”</p><p>Anger was rising up and Tobirama had every intention to accept the verbal challenge too, but Madara took the bow from him, fingers brushing as Tobirama reluctantly let go.</p><p>“Still two shots left!”, Madara glared up at Bee, “Don’t celebrate early!”</p><p>
  <em>Fine. He’d risk it. </em>
</p><p>“Take your shot.”, Tobirama kept his tone neutral, but beckoned Madara to him.</p><p>They moved a few steps away, as Bee lined up his next shot. Tobirama leaned down a bit and whispered directly into Madara’s ear: “I need you to help me. I taped my shoulder. Please, take it all off. As subtly as you can.”</p><p>“But.. won’t that?”</p><p>Tobirama stepped in between Madara and his challenger again, turning his back to Madara and pulling his collar down to reveal the ends of the tape. There was no time to lose.</p><p>“Just do it.”, he whispered urgently, “It will be fine.”</p><p>It absolutely won’t be <em>fine</em>, but he needed Madara to act fast.</p><p>He felt involuntary shivers run down his spine as warm fingers slipped underneath his shirt and moved along his back, puling off the tape that stabilized and restricted his shoulder. The fingers stopped for a second before they reached for the nape of his neck and Tobirama could hear a gasp as the tape came off. Ah, right. The tattoo did reach up that far. He couldn’t bring himself to get annoyed at the featherlight touch tracing the ink.</p><p>“I’m sorry!”, an embarrassed whisper, “I didn’t mean to... Did I get all of it?”</p><p>“Almost.”, Tobirama yanked the last piece off that stopped just above the hem of his sleeve. He turned and pushed it onto the ball of tape Madara was already holding. “Thank you.”</p><p>Bee’s second arrow had hit better. Still a little down and to the left, but in the blue this time. Tobirama ignored his blabbering even as A chimed in, simply holding out his hand for the bow.</p><p>It was easier to fall into stance this time. After all, this was the stance he’d used for more than 10 years. His feet set firmly in a closed stance. Front foot perfectly aligned with the firing line, back foot at an angle, slightly more angled to calculate in the soft breeze from the skylight. His shoulders were in a straight line as he twisted, pulling his shoulder back into the very position he knew would cause him pain. He drew the string back, already feeling the muscles burning and released it. A few seconds later and he would have lost. He couldn’t hold his stance until the arrow hit as he usually did, he dropped his right arm immediately. He had to clench his teeth against the pain and wordlessly handed the bow to Bee. He went back to Madara’s side, well aware how much his face must have paled and determined not to show any signs to Bee.</p><p>“You hit bull’s eye and...”, Madara hesitated attention still on the target, “The arrow went almost all the way through the straw.”</p><p>“Tell me something, anything.”, Tobirama tried to breathe the pain away, “Just talk.”</p><p>“Uh.. I didn’t expect you to have a tattoo? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have- Can I see it? I mean, a picture! It looks awesome and blue suits you well! I don’t have tattoos, but I always wanted one. I’d like a phoenix!”, Madara’s rambling slowed down and quieted as he still watched Bee’s attempt, “Is your shoulder?... You don’t look okay- YES! The asshole just lost! I KNEW YOU ARE BETTER THAN HIM!”</p><p>Tobirama heard the ruckus behind him, but it was hard to focus on anything but the pulsing pain spreading from his shoulder. He’d never hear the end of it. Certainly not, if Hashirama heard.</p><p>“Come on, head held high. Look smug.” Madara nudged him to turn around, “Glare him down. It doesn’t look like he’ll leave...”</p><p>He would never admit how much Madara’s voice helped him focus. Tobirama turned around to a chaotic scene. A and Bee were argueing loudly. Apparently, A was ready to honor their competition and leave, while Bee wanted a rematch.</p><p>“You agreed to my terms. Now, leave.”, Tobirama’s tone was icy and he nodded at Sai who looked ready to throw them out, “Sai can and will force you otherwise.”</p><p>Archery was only a hobby to Sai. A sport that helped him focus. However, he was an athlete, even if he didn’t compete. He was still a black belt in judo, just like Ino who had dragged him along one day. The club had a reputation for collecting members who were more focused on other sports. Archery helped them with their mental preparation before competitions and Tobirama had become the default teacher since he joined. They all knew about his shoulder and rarely asked him to demonstrate something, he could usually explain it well enough.</p><p>Luckily, A dragged his brother out himself and Tobirama ignored the array of challenges thrown at him. Maybe he should have listened to his doctor. She’d told him, he wasn’t allowed to do so much as touch a bow without taping his shoulder. She also said, he should stop at the first signs of pain. But, oh well, that would have been half an hour ago.</p><p>Tobirama sank to his knees with a pained groan when Madara slapped him on the back in celebration. Black dots were dancing before his eyes and he had to force down the rising nausea.</p><p>“Shit, shit, <em>shit!</em> I’m sorry, I’m such an idiot! Come on, you must have some sort of first aid stuff, right?”, Madara relaxed a little when Ino rushed to his side, “Little help?”</p><p>“Senpai! Let’s get you to the backroom. Is it dislocated?”</p><p>“Only partially.”, Tobirama declined any help as he slowly got back up, “I’ll need you to pop it in again.”</p><p>“But I’ve never-“</p><p>“I have. I can do it.”, Madara cut her off, “One of my team mates dislocates his shoulder every once in a while. He refuses to quit anyway.”</p><p>As long as no one was rushing him to the ER, Tobirama would let anyone try. He hated the hospital. Especially when he could theoretically pop it back in himself. It was more difficult than letting someone else do it and a lot more painful. But possible and he’d done it before. He hated people fretting about him though, so he sent Ino away as soon as they reached the small room. He ignored the field bed and sat down on the bench in order to allow Madara easy access to his shoulder.</p><p>“Take your shirt off and let me see. I have to know what you mean by partially dislocated..”</p><p>Tobirama laughed at his blushing and face-palmed just afterwards when the shaking jostled his shoulder.</p><p>“This is not funny! I know I’m bad at flirting, okay? But I actually want to help. Now. Take. It. Off.”</p><p>He was pretty sure Madara hadn’t registered his own words.</p><p>It was a nice change to look up at him for once. His chest was puffed out in offense, hands at his hips and expression clearly visible, even though more and more of the wild mane was falling free, framing his face again. There was no hint of nervousness and Tobirama smirked as he decided he didn’t mind this motherhen mode.</p><p>“I would, but I really can’t.”, Tobirama nodded at his shoulder sagging at a weird angle, “Help me?”</p><p>It took a bit of awkward shuffling, but eventually they got the shirt off. Tobirama had expected the gasp. He really had. His shoulder had that effect on people. Not only was it at a weird angle, it was also badly scarred from surgery gone wrong and the follow up surgery to salvage as much as possible. The tattoo was meant to distract any casual glance, redirecting their attention to the silvery blue dragons swirling around his back, the tails covering the worst of the scars. But Madara did not glance, he stared. Tobirama started to feel uncomfortable under the scrutiny and had to suppress the urge to fidget.</p><p>“Okay, I’ll need to prod a little to get the angle right.”, Madara’s touch was light but it still hurt, “..Hmm, I got it. I know it’s hard, but I need you to relax. Take a deep breath. On three. One..”</p><p>“<em>Bastard!</em>”, Tobirama shouted as his shoulder popped back into place, “Fuck...”</p><p>Madara’s hands still rested on his shoulder. Not moving, not pressing, just there. Tobirama took deep grounding breaths, as the pain eased up a little. It still hurt, but what had been quickly pulsating almost piercing pain, dulled to a hum. It took him a while to notice Madara mumbling about him being a reckless idiot.</p><p>“Why did you take the challenge?!”, Madara finally pulled away to step in front of Tobirama, “You knew this would happen! You made me help you and then you <em>hurt yourself</em>.”</p><p>Tobirama hesitated as Madara started pacing and pulling at his hair. He started mumbling again, but Tobirama couldn’t make out the words as he tried to find his own. It was nice to see Madara get so worked up for his sake and he decided as fun as their little game was, it should end here.</p><p>“Come here.”, Tobirama caught his hand and pulled sharply, “Stop pacing, you’re driving me mad. Shut up and listen to me. A used to be my rival back in the day, I could have ignored that. But his brother ruined our competition and went against the honor code. He shot at our target. He insulted the club as a whole. I couldn’t ignore that.”</p><p>Madara fidgeted a little, clearly wanting to say something, but he stilled again when Tobirama squeezed his hand.</p><p>“You’re a flirting disaster, Madara.”, Tobirama cut off the protest, “Yes, I’ve noticed. And since you clearly haven’t picked up on my hints.. Yes, <em>I’m interested</em>. I guess, you won our game after all. You already got me shirtless.”</p><p>“So, you’re uh, interested? <em>In me?</em>”, Madara staggered turning red once more, “Because this is.. very tempting.”</p><p>Tobirama smiled and squeezed his hand again, turning to his left to face Madara better: “Oh, is it? Then do something about it.”</p><p>Madara stared. For a moment Tobirama was afraid his brain short-circuited and shut off entirely. Then he brought a hand up to cup Tobirama’s cheek and tugged him down ever so slowly. Tobirama’s smile softened and he followed the gentle guidance to meet Madara in an innocent kiss.</p><p>He regretted that he had to let go of Madara’s hand to use his left arm and pull him closer, but his right side hurt too much to move. The shorter man nuzzled into his neck as they broke the kiss and Tobirama had to admit it was a good distraction from the pain. He would enjoy this peaceful moment as long as he could.  Somehow, he knew Madara would give him hell for toying with him. As soon as his brain was fully functional again and honestly he wouldn’t have it any other way. There was more fun to be had and so much more teasing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope all of you enjoyed this flirting disaster ^^</p><p>You can thank raendown for prompting a library AU and the set-up with flailing Madara and oblivious Tobirama. And you can blame Kalira and Malakia for discussing awkward flirting with me on discord - which lead to me having so much fun and trying my hand at comedy - which I've never tried before.</p><p>This story got so much longer than I planned. I got a little carried away with the archery - because I love it and I always wanted an excuse to write Tobirama as an archer. Do not question the medical accuracy, please. I gave Tobirama my own messed up shoulder, I know it's accurate.</p><p>If anyone wants to shout at me what they think happens next, I'll be happy to discuss. I have no intention of continuing this, so be my guest, if you have ideas!</p>
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